In Our Feels: A Look Back @ 1200 East-West Highway!

This edition of our Liner Notes Blog looks back at Bump ‘n Grind’s formidable years at our cafe at 1200 East-West Highway. It was here that we developed our brand, grew our community, and became recognized as a premiere destination for coffee and vinyl records in the US! We asked David Fogel, Bump ‘n Grind’s driving force, about his best memories from our first location in Silver Spring, and some of the key lessons learned about starting a small business.

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A Look Back at Our First Roasted Batch

This week’s Liner Notes looks back at the first batch of Bump ‘n Grind roasted coffee!

Bump ‘n Grind is entering into a new chapter with the start of our Analog Market at 923 Gist Ave. Since our flagship store at 1200 East-West Highway closed its doors during the pandemic, we have been actively looking for a location that will become our “forever” home. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it is exciting to see the blooming of new ideas and fresh imaginations as we begin to plan for our next cafe and hangout in Downtown Silver Spring.

The First B 'n G at 1200 East-West Highway

All this looking forward makes us nostalgic about how far Bump ‘n Grind has come from being a nascent idea about creating a place for community, music, and coffee in Silver Spring, to roasting gourmet coffee from around the world, and now operating several outpost cafes, offering a complete wholesale coffee catalog, and organizing a weekly vintage and vinyl market showcasing amazing small businesses in the DMV! 

In 2016, it became clear in Bump ‘n Grind’s early days as a cafe that roasting our own coffee was the only logical direction of growth. At the time, we were serving delicious espresso and beans from our friends at Vigilante Co and Ceremony, while learning from other companies about their roasting processes, scalability, and diving-deep into the intricacies of crafting the perfect cup. 

In April of '16, head honcho, David Fogel, teamed up with long-time customer and coffee enthusiast, Vince Garcia, to acquire our first roaster and start dialing in our first signature roast profile. David explains, “before I opened B ‘n G, I knew I eventually wanted to incorporate roasting. Mainly to dig deeper in the process, and be more connected with our main product, and the communities that produce it.” It was imperative for the Bump ‘n Grind vision that we could have more of a direct and active  role in our position as stewards bringing “conscientious” beans from around the world, roasting them to our unique and desired tastes, and sharing them with our local communities.  

Our first small-batch was on a Mill City 2KG roaster at our original warehouse on Brookville Rd. A spiffy, brightly painted little machine, it has been affectionately dubbed our “Little Red Corvette.” It took a few months to dial in our blends, eventually working with Vince to create Mixtape, our first signature! Our Little Red Corvette is now roasting our sample batches at our Roastery in Kensington, MD, still an integral part in our roasting processes and bringing exceptional coffee to our customers in the DC area.  If you find yourself at our pop-up shop at the Roastery on 4120 Howard Ave, make sure to snap a photo of our snazzy Red roaster! She built the foundation for what is to come with Bump ‘n Grind Coffee and Records!




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Single Origin Profile: Java - Light

Bump ‘n Grind has another exciting Single Origin roast out in our cafes and pop-ups. Our Indonesian - Java is a light roasted bean with a powerful flavor combination. A one-two punch of Baker’s chocolate and molasses, with cedar and red plum notes, gives this unique bean a robust flavor signature. The Java - Light is currently receiving rave reviews from our Single Origin fans, one out in Denver claiming, “this is like the Barolo of coffee! I love the forward chocolate flavor, and that it is more syrupy and full-bodied than most light roasts.” While we recommend our small-batched, single origin beans to be served in a pour-over fashion, we are also offering it as a rich Cold Brew at our weekend pop-up cafe at the Roastery in Kensington!

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Single Origin Feature - Nicaragua - Matagalpa

Bump ‘n Grind is currently featuring a new Single Origin roast: the Nicaragua - Matagalpa. A lightly roasted approach brings out the complex layers of this bean from the northern mountain regions of Nicaragua. The Matagalpa region is famous for its lush tropical vegetation, most of the coffee grown in this region is shade grown in nutrient-rich, volcanic soil. Grown 700m above sea level, in a climate the locals refer to as “the eternal spring,” these beans go through a washed process before they are dried and shipped to our roastery in Kensington, MD. In line with our commitment to “conscientious coffee,” these beans are both certified organic and fair trade!

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Single Origin Feature - Ethiopia - Yirgacheffe

This week, we present another one of our fantastic Single-Origin beans: the small and mighty Ethiopia - Yirgacheffe. What might look delicate in demeanor, this bean packs a flavorful punch. An exemplary “Conscientious Coffee” according to the Bump ‘n Grind standards, we are proud to feature this lightly-roasted, naturally-processed coffee as a Single-Origin coffee for our drinkers, subscribers, and patrons! 

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Single Origin Feature: Uganda - Bujisu

Bump ‘n Grind is proud to be roasting select Single Origin coffee beans from our humble roastery in Kensington, MD. Our Single Origin coffees are small-batch, micro-roasted to bring out the distinct character and complexities of our beans. We roast our small batches daily to ensure our customers receive the freshest, most flavorful product. The beans are selected from the highest grades for specialty coffee, performing at 85 or better according to the Specialty Coffee Association’s 1-100 rating scale. This week, we are proud to be featuring the beautiful Uganda-Bujisu Single Origin roast at our pop-up coffee shop and cafe at Silver Spring Library.

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Our Beans have a New Look!

Our beans have a new look! Bump ‘n Grind is excited to reveal the latest packaging for our beans hitting the retail shelves at your favorite grocery store, bakery, or BnG coffee partner! 

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Bump 'n Grind Coffee Tasting Guide

At Bump ‘n Grind, we are actively trying to bridge the gap with our customers to provide a brand experience focused on the growth of our community connections, environmental stewardship, and being a socially-aware small business. This week’s Liner Notes shares the background of our signature bean blends, explaining the choices creating that “conscientious” cup we love to drink each morning!

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